


the most wonderful time of the year

by voidisa



Category: Kingdom Hearts (Video Games)
Genre: Christmas, Christmas Fluff, Christmas Party, Christmas Special, Christmas Tree, Domestic Fluff, Elrena is a walking disaster, F/F, Feelings Realization, First Kiss, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, Friends to Lovers, Friendship, Friendship/Love, Gay Panic, Happy Ending, I love her and Lauriam's relationship oof, Love, M/M, One Big Happy Family, Romantic Fluff, Slice of Life
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-01
Updated: 2020-12-01
Packaged: 2021-03-09 18:47:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,251
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27810997
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/voidisa/pseuds/voidisa
Summary: Elrena is surrounded by Dandelions for the holidays, and she's feeling a little on edge. Luckily for her, she has her best friend Lauriam -- who istotallynot dating Brain -- and his cute sister to make her feel at home.
Relationships: Brain/Lauriam (Kingdom Hearts), Elrena & Lauriam (Kingdom Hearts), Elrena/Strelitzia (Kingdom Hearts), Lauriam & Strelitzia (Kingdom Hearts)
Comments: 6
Kudos: 11





	the most wonderful time of the year

**Author's Note:**

> Is it too early for Christmas fics? I don't care.

“Hot chocolate anyone?” 

Elrena spun on the ladder she was standing on, nearly toppling backward in her excitement as her eyes landed on her best friend, Lauriam, who had just entered the room with a tray filled with steaming mugs that smelled _delightful_. She quickly placed the golden ball ornament on an outstretched limb of the tree and hopped downward just as he handed off a mug to Skuld and made his way over to her. 

“Aww, Lauri,” she said in a sickeningly sweet voice that she knew made Lauriam squirm with discomfort -- especially when she used that nickname, “you even remembered the candy cane in mine! You’re just the best friend ever.” 

He shrugged, and she could see that his cheeks were starting to turn the same color as his hair. “I try. I even put the marshmallows in there for you.” 

“You’re just the sweetest!” Elrena exclaimed, ruffling his hair as she sipped at her peppermint hot chocolate, and Lauriam groaned in protest as he tried to step out of her reach without spilling the remainder of the drinks. “Brain is so lucky to have you around.” 

Whatever amusement had been in his eyes before was completely gone now, and the smile fell from his lips so quickly that she was almost concerned she’d broken him. “Shut up,” he hissed through gritted teeth, his eyes darting to one side to signal the two people sitting on the couch behind them. “You know that we’re not dating.” 

Elrena smirked, peeking around Lauriam’s shoulder at Skuld and Ephemer. The two of them were deep in conversation as they cut out little paper snowflakes, and if they had heard what Elrena had said, they showed no signs of it. Still, it thrilled her to no end to see Lauriam’s blush deepen at the mention of the other Dandelion. He was so head over heels that it was nearly embarrassing, and she couldn’t resist any opportunity she got to tease him endlessly about it. 

“Sure you aren’t,” she said with an obnoxious, far-too-obvious wink. “You guys just spend every minute of every day together and go on dates and hold hands and send each other flowers and love letters --” 

“That was _one time_ I sent him flowers, and there was nothing romantic about that letter --” 

“‘Oh, Brain, I love you so much! I would scream it from the rooftops to let the whole world know, but you are my whole world --’”

“That is not what it said,” Lauriam said, his voice dangerously low with a threat, and Elrena nearly doubled over with laughter when she noticed that Skuld was definitely looking at them now. “I knew I shouldn’t have let you read that letter. And keep your voice down, okay? I don’t want people to get the wrong idea.” 

“You guys are wearing matching sweaters.” 

“That...was just an accident,” Lauriam said, and Elrena snorted as his face grew brighter still. She had to hide her face in her mug of hot chocolate to keep from embarrassing him further, and she had plenty of things that she could say if she so pleased. But she would spare him. For now. “Do you know where my sister is?” 

And now the humor had drained from her. She cleared her throat, swirling her candy cane around in the hot chocolate, and pointed behind her. “On the other side of the tree, I think. She’s been really quiet for a while.” 

“Great, thanks,” Lauriam said as he nudged her hard in the side with his elbow. “And try to behave yourself, El. Don’t make me have to kick your ass so close to Christmas.” 

“Oh, Lauri, you know you’d lose that fight.” 

As much teasing as she did when it came to Lauriam’s not-so-secret massive crush on Brain who was _absolutely_ his boyfriend whether he admitted it or not, Elrena would die if Lauriam knew that she had an even bigger crush on his sweet, shy sister. He wasn’t sure how he would react to that news, but she couldn’t imagine that it would be good. It would either result in endless teasing that would be far worse than anything she had dished out to him before, or it would be anger. He was incredibly protective of perfect, innocent Strelitzia, and if anything were to ever happen to her, even if by some accident or misunderstanding...well, Elrena dreaded to know what would happen. 

A third possibility -- and maybe the worst of them all -- would result in discomfort and awkwardness between the two of them, and she really and truly would not be able to handle that. Over the course of the past few months, Lauriam had grown to be her very best friend, the only person that she felt she could confide in, the person she would fight all the legions of hell to protect, and if he suddenly found it weird being around her, then she would be screwed. She was already an outsider in the Dandelion group, not chosen by Master Ava for any great deed, and felt as if the others only let her hang around because she was Lauriam’s friend, so if he suddenly lost interest, who would she turn to? She had no other friends besides these people, and she felt like she was hanging by a thread. 

“Elrena, you wanna take a break from the tree and come help us wrap presents?” Ventus asked from in front of the fireplace, where he sat next to Brain and a bunch of boxes and stockings that had been stuffed to the brim with all sorts of goodies. Where they’d acquired the munny to afford getting all of these gifts, she had no idea, and frankly, she didn’t want to ask. There were dozens and dozens of them scattered across the floor, all individually sealed with a personalized note to whatever keyblade wielder it was going to. Perhaps it was their duty to keep the wielders happy. Or perhaps this was all just out of the kindness of their hearts. 

Elrena was not like them. No wonder she hadn’t made the cut for Ava’s dream team.  
“Uh...sure,” she said, plopping down on the floor with her hot chocolate and staring at the two boys in front of her. Despite Brain spending so much time with Lauriam, she really didn’t know anything about him besides he was madly in love with her best friend, so she didn’t really know what to talk about with him. Or Ventus, really. He was an enigma that Elrena couldn’t quite figure out. 

“Not really in the Christmas spirit yet?” Brain asked. 

Elrena settled her gaze on him and had to resist the urge to roll her eyes at him. Seriously, he was wearing the _exact same_ sweater as Lauriam. How could they not see how couple-y they were? “Not yet,” she said. “I’m more of a Halloween person myself.” 

“That doesn’t surprise me,” Brain replied, and though it wasn’t really an insult, it felt vaguely insulting. Elrena thought that if Brain wasn’t Lauriam’s boyfriend, she might throttle him, but that wouldn’t be very Christmasy. 

“So what is all of this?” she asked, picking up a pink velvet stocking stuffed with candy and a couple of other small knick-knacks. “A present for every keyblade wielder you guys know?” 

“Sure,” Ventus answered with a shrug. “Why not? It was all Strelitzia’s idea. She pitched in most of the munny herself, and she went and picked out every single gift we have here. She compiled a list of all sorts of things that each person likes, and she put together boxes and stockings for each one. She doesn’t talk a lot, but she really does care about people.” 

“Yeah,” Elrena said, swirling her candy cane around in her hot chocolate. It was starting to get kind of clumpy and cold, and her taste for holiday sweets was fading. However, at the mention of Strelitzia’s unbelievable levels of kindness, she could almost feel her heart swell with delight and a warmth like fire rush through her veins. She hoped the heat hadn’t traveled to her cheeks and made her affections obvious. “She’s good like that, isn’t she?” 

“This one is for Charrette,” Brain said, handing her a box, “and her favorite color is green. Do you know how to wrap presents and make bows?” 

“No.” Besides, she didn’t want to give Charrette a gift anyway. The other girl had crossed her just a few weeks ago when she cut in line at the pizza place downtown and gotten the last slice of four cheese that Elrena had had her eye on. “Do you?” 

Brain raised an eyebrow at her, and a tiny smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. “Uh, yeah, that’s why I’m on gift wrapping duty.” He shook his head as if he couldn’t quite understand how she could be so dense, and dark locks fell into his eyes from underneath his hat. Elrena could see why Lauriam was interested in him. He was rather attractive, if she squinted, and he had a certain kindness to him that made her feel safe. 

But he wasn’t nearly as attractive or as kind as Strelitzia. He couldn’t be even if he tried.  
Neither could she. She was a mess. This holiday was not for her. Perhaps that’s what Brain had meant when he said he wasn’t surprised that she liked Halloween. Despite being a keyblade wielder, she belonged with the ghosts and the ghouls and the witches and creatures of the night. But this holiday, reserved for those with golden hearts and the spirit of giving, was entirely Strelitzia’s. Pretty much, she was always on Santa’s nice list, and occasionally, Elrena found herself on the naughty list. 

“I think Skuld is about to start baking some cookies if you want to join her,” Ventus told her, and maybe it was her own low self-esteem that she needed to work on, but it sounded like he was just trying to get rid of her. He wouldn’t do that, right? And she wasn’t that bad...right? 

Still, she frowned and raked a hand through her blonde hair, shaking it out across her shoulders. It was starting to get long. She thought she might chop it off soon, just because. “I’m no good at baking.” 

“So maybe back to the tree?” Ventus suggested with an innocent shrug. 

Elrena scowled. It was clear that they didn’t actually want her here. “Yeah, that was the plan. Thanks.” 

As she got up and made her way back to the tree, Ventus’s voice stopped her in her tracks. “Hey, Elrena?” 

She barely glanced over her shoulder at him. Her heart was pumping far too quickly for her liking. “Yes?” 

“Cute sweater. I like the reindeer on it.” 

Elrena looked down at the red and green Christmas sweater that she had purchased for this exact occasion, smiling a little at the cute reindeer with the googly eyes and the Christmas lights strung through their antlers. _We wish you a deery Christmas,_ it said underneath them. Cheesy, but cute. “Thanks,” she said. 

Perhaps she was overreacting. None of them hated her. 

"Attention, everyone!" Lauriam announced, emerging from behind the tree as Elrena took up some ornaments to start hanging. She looked up, and Strelitzia was beside him, her shoulders tense and her face glowing red as a tiny smile pulled at her lips. Lauriam had his arm slung over her shoulders, pulling her close to his side. Whatever he was about to tell everyone, it was humiliating to Strelitzia, but in a sort of _don't look at me_ kind of way. 

That was something else Elrena really liked about her: how humble she was. Lauriam loved bragging on his sister and all of her amazing feats, but Strelitzia preferred to keep it to herself, making people happy from the shadows. 

Another thing: how adorable she looked with her little Santa hat perched on her head and the thin line of marshmallow foam on her top lip that she hadn't managed to lick off. It wasn't fair how cute she was. 

"My wonderful sister Strelitzia is the very best at decorating Christmas trees, and she was just going to let this go without drawing any attention to it." He gestured to Strelitzia's side of the tree, and Strelitzia buried her face in her hands, groaning at him as their friends got up from their tasks and came to see what Lauriam was talking about. 

Elrena abandoned the ornaments she was about to hang and stood by Ephemer, arms crossed over her chest as she studied the spectacle in front of her. And, as usual when Lauriam bragged on Strelitzia, he was very right. Her side of the tree was beautiful, decorated with just the right amount of each color, with red tinsel laced through the limbs and shimmering gold and silver ornaments twinkling in the dim light of the room. She'd even managed to make it look as if the limbs were covered in bits of melting snow, making it appear genuinely lifelike and very wintery. 

"It's not finished!" Strelitzia exclaimed, pressing her hands to her pink cheeks as she shook her head, clearly not pleased by the work she'd done. Everyone else, however, was in complete and utter awe. "I still have to string the lights in! And I haven't put the star on top!" 

Elrena glanced at her side of the tree. How she managed to mess up decorating a Christmas tree, she had no idea, but it looked sloppy and poorly done compared to what Strelitzia had done. Already her eyes were drawn to the gaps where ornaments should be and the way that the colors blended unnaturally together.

She frowned. "Are you kidding me? You're a natural, Litzi." 

Strelitzia looked up at her amidst the murmurs of agreement, and a tiny smile pulled at her lips. Elrena felt like her body was about to shut down, like her lungs had collapsed and her heart had stopped and she couldn't get any sort of breath in her, and she staggered backward just slightly, never taking her eyes from Strelitzia's. And what the hell was that? _Litzi?_ Only Lauriam ever called her that. She hadn't earned the right. 

Still, Strelitzia's eyes twinkled brighter than any Christmas lights, and she turned her face away, suddenly shy from the compliment. "Thanks, Rena." 

_Rena._ No one had ever called her that before, not even Lauriam. She'd always been El, but Strelitzia had branded her with a new name, one that was hers and hers alone. Her heart fluttered, and she had to walk away before she ended up making a fool of herself. She was usually pretty smooth, but she thought that if she opened her mouth, only nonsense would come out, and that wouldn't be good. 

"I'm going to get to baking!" Skuld announced. "If anyone wants to help, you know where to find me." 

"I'll come!" Ventus replied cheerily, and he skipped out of the room right on her heels, chattering on about gingerbread houses and all sorts of things that held none of Elrena's interest. 

"Well, I'll need someone to help me with the presents," Brain said, looking around the room. He was so obviously trying not to look in Lauriam's direction, but Elrena could see his gaze darting over there, practically begging for his attention without words. Elrena had to fight to contain the eye roll coming to the surface. 

They were so embarrassingly in love. 

"Do you want me to help you with your side of the tree?" Strelitzia asked, and her hand grazed Elrena's arm for the slightest second before drawing away, freezing Elrena to the spot as her heart pumped wildly and nearly burst out of her chest. 

Not as embarrassingly in love as she was, it seemed. 

"Sure," she said, hoping that her voice didn't sound as out of control as her emotions were. She dared to look up at Strelitzia, and she was smiling back at her, her strawberry blonde hair falling gracefully over her shoulders and her eyes lit with stars. She didn't even have to _try_ to be pretty; she just was. And it was causing Elrena some severe heart palpitations. 

"I'll help you with the presents," Lauriam said, much to Brain's delight, and Elrena snorted as Lauriam shot her a glare that could kill. 

"I'm sure you will," she said, smirking. 

Lauriam crossed his arms over his chest, a frown etched deeply on his face. "What is that supposed to even mean?" 

Elrena shrugged, winking at him. "You tell me." 

Really, she just wanted to take the focus off of her and Strelitzia. If Lauriam lingered on it too long, he would surely see it all over Elrena's face how she felt. He knew her far too well to miss it. 

Thankfully, though, as soon as he sat down next to Brain, his attention was all his, and he probably wouldn’t look up even if the house got flooded with Heartless. Everything was always Brain, Brain, Brain. She rolled her eyes. How stupid it was to be in love so close to the holidays.  
“Okay, tell me everything that’s wrong,” she said, crossing her arms over her chest as Strelitzia walked around the tree, rubbing her chin in thought. Every once in a while, she stopped and removed an ornament to put it somewhere else, and she picked at the tinsel and laced it expertly in between other ornaments until it started to look like a rainbow. She was good like that, coordinating colors like an interior designer. “Wow, didn’t know I was so bad.” 

Strelitzia froze, looking up shyly as if Elrena had just scolded her for some sort of misdeed. “Oh, no! It’s not bad! I just thought there might be a better way --” 

“I’m kidding, babe,” Elrena said, then physically cringed at herself and how stupid she must sound. Did Totally Straight girls call their Totally Straight girl friends “babe,” or was that weird? She wasn’t entirely sure, because she didn’t think she had any Totally Straight girl friends, so she probably just made a complete dunce of herself without even meaning to. Strelitzia hesitated, her eyes scanning over Elrena’s face, which felt like it was burning like a hundred suns, and then slowly, she started to laugh, but it was more of a nervous, I-feel-sorry-for-you kind of laugh, and honestly, Elrena didn’t blame her. 

“I’m okay with self-deprecation,” Elrena explained. “I can say shit about myself all I want to. Other people? Not so much. I’m confident enough to admit that I’m trash, but also in a good way. Does that make sense?” 

Strelitzia nodded, smiling. “Yeah, I think I’m following you. You’re not bad at decorating though, Rena. I just had this sort of vision once I started, and now I can’t stop. See how the shades of ornaments kind of gradually fade into the next shade?” She pointed to the bottom of the tree where bright reds and maroons adorned the limbs, and Elrena could see exactly what she was talking about, how it faded from dark red to sort of a burnt orange, to bright orange, to a mustard yellow, and then to a color sort of like canaries. She was really just trying to create a rainbow. 

“It’s beautiful,” Elrena remarked, which was strange, because she never said that anything was beautiful, but she really meant it. Strelitzia had a talent, and it was all because of her good, pure heart. She could see things in ways that Elrena could never dream of. The world probably appeared much brighter to her, more hopeful. 

“Thanks.” Strelitzia turned her head away, but Elrena could see the rosy blush creeping up her neck onto her cheeks. It was cute. Far too cute. Oh, gods, she was probably staring, wasn’t she? How long had it been? Seconds? Minutes? 

She forced herself to turn away, clearing her throat as she grabbed a hot pink ornament and strategically placed it among the reds. She noticed that the ornament had a picture of Strelitzia and Lauriam when they were children poorly hot-glued to it, and golden tassels fell from the top like dead weeds, limp and sad. 

“Oh,” Strelitzia said, her cheeks growing even redder at the sight of it, and she took it from the limb before Elrena even had the chance to study it. “That can go on the other side. Where no one can see it.” 

“How come? What’s wrong with it?” Elrena asked, following her around the tree as Strelitzia hurried out of the way, carefully placing the ornament in a very secretive spot where it would be covered up by other gaudier ornaments. 

“Nothing, I just look silly,” Strelitzia said, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear and looking up at Elrena. “Lauriam looks flawless, as always, and I look like the kid that got picked on in school. Because I _was_ the kid that got picked on in school.” 

Elrena pushed past her to look at it, but Strelitzia didn’t put up much of a fight. She just buried her face in her hands and shook her head as Elrena dropped to her knees, taking the ornament in her hands and studying it. Lauriam looked exactly the same, dressed fancily in a neatly pressed shirt and vest with bright shorts and shoes that he had drawn on. Strelitzia was seated next to him, grinning from ear to ear, with both of her front teeth missing. Her hair was short then, and she had badly chopped bangs that looked like something she might have done herself. Her hair was blonder then, closer to Elrena’s shade, and it was pulled up in pigtails with little red bows. She wore an oversized sweater that nearly covered her green corduroy skirt, and her stockings had candy cane stripes and black bows on them. It was an outfit that a little kid would pick out for themselves because it was fun, not because it looked good. 

Elrena laughed, and she heard Strelitzia groan from behind her. “You’re so cute,” she said, before she could even think about what she was saying. She didn’t even have to turn around to know that the compliment had struck Strelitzia differently as well. She probably felt so uncomfortable right now. Strelitzia was an observer. She never talked much to people, but she studied them to know their little quirks, their likes and dislikes. She could probably see it all over Elrena’s face how much she liked her. 

Gods, she was such an idiot. 

“I just meant…” she said, spinning around to face Strelitzia, then bit down on her lower lip. _Shut up, Elrena_ , she thought to herself. _You’re only making things worse._ “Not now. Just. I mean. Then, when you were...I mean, not that you aren’t cute now! You’re so pretty. I just thought --” 

“Thank you,” Strelitzia said, which was the most gracious thing that had ever happened to Elrena. She could have been rambling for hours if Strelitzia wouldn’t have stopped her. She sighed, offering a smile, and followed Strelitzia back to the incomplete side of the tree. “Want to help me hang the lights up?” 

“That sounds great,” Elrena said. She let out a breath she’d been holding, and relief washed over her. Maybe everything was going to be okay.  
“Okay, the first batch of cookies did not turn out great,” Skuld announced, waltzing into the room with a tray of half-blackened, crispy looking gingerbread men with their gumdrop buttons and chocolate chip eyes melting right off of them in a hellish display. Ventus walked sheepishly behind her, looking as if he wanted to stay as hidden as possible. “Ven was supposed to set the timer, but he forgot, and we were so busy working on the next batch that we didn’t realize anything was wrong until we smelled smoke.” 

“I knew I smelled something burning!” Ephemer exclaimed. 

“And you didn’t say anything?” Lauriam said, jumping up from his spot next to Brain. He was in full-on panic mode now, and Elrena was certain that it was because he hadn’t noticed it himself. He hated not knowing things. What he hated even worse, Elrena knew, as he turned to look at her, was that she knew he hadn’t been paying attention because he was with Brain. 

Just like she thought. Even if the Heartless attacked him, he’d be in his own little happy world. 

“It’s really not a big deal!” Skuld exclaimed with a smile, offering up the tray. “Everyone’s fine, and we’re going to do better next round. This first round is for all of you.” 

“Wonderful,” Brain said with a roll of his eyes. “I love eating the rejects.” 

“Here,” Lauriam said, grabbing a couple of cookies off the tray and passing one to Brain. “This one isn’t as ugly as the rest.” 

Elrena snorted, and Lauriam shot her a glare and flipped her off behind his back as he sat back down with his own cookie. 

“What’s his problem?” Strelitzia asked, returning to give Elrena a half-charred cookie. She nibbled on the top of the gingerbread man’s head, grimaced, then dunked him into her hot chocolate. Elrena smiled. She could be a pretty good serial killer if she wasn’t so damn sweet. 

“Oh, he’s just mad that he’s totally dating Brain but refuses to acknowledge it,” Elrena replied. She found her own hot chocolate and dipped her cookie into it. The chocolatey, minty, marshmallowy taste was still not enough to drown out the horrible taste, though. 

Strelitzia rolled her eyes, taking a sip of her drink. “He totally is. Sometimes I wish he would just get over himself. Having a crush on someone isn’t a big deal. You can like whoever you want, you know?” 

Elrena’s muscles tensed, and for one brief second, her legs wobbled underneath her. She sat down on the bottom step of the ladder, staring down into her darkened, clumpy hot chocolate with little crumbs of gingerbread man now floating in it, refusing to look up at Strelitzia. She _had_ to know something. _Had_ to. 

“You okay?” Strelitzia asked, rushing over to her side and placing a steady hand on her shoulder. “You looked kind of woozy there for a second. Was it the cookie?” 

“No. I mean, yes, it’s disgusting. But no. I’m just…” She sighed, looking up to meet Strelitzia’s gaze, and she let out a high-pitched giggle when she saw that there was marshmallow foam across Strelitzia’s top lip again. 

“What? What is it?” Strelitzia asked, her eyes wide with panic, but Elrena was reaching toward her before she could escape, and her finger glided ever so gently across Strelitzia’s lip, wiping the foam away. It was just a single second, but there was so much electricity between the two of them that it would surprise Elrena if she managed to create a static shock. Strelitzia’s smile faded, and Elrena found herself moving closer, her gaze falling to Strelitzia’s lips, then back up to her eyes. Her mouth looked so soft, and she thought she probably gave the sweetest, most delicate kisses. What she wouldn’t give to feel Strelitzia’s lips on hers now. 

“You um…” Elrena cleared her throat, forcing herself to look away. “You had foam on your lip, that’s all.” 

“Oh. Oops.” Strelitzia grinned shyly, swiping at her mouth with the sleeve of her sweater. It was so cute that Elrena could have died. 

“So...those lights, yeah?” Elrena said, rubbing her neck nervously. She hoped that was enough to break the tension between them. 

“Y-yeah. The lights. Right.” Strelitzia nodded, then began digging around in the decorations box while muttering to herself about color coordination. Elrena might have joined her, but when she looked up and saw Lauriam standing there, hands on his hips and an unreadable, terrifying expression on his face, all she really wanted to do was run far away. In fact, if the dwarves in Dwarf Woodlands were hiring, maybe she could help them mine for jewels. That wouldn’t be such a bad life, right? 

“I’m gonna go check on Ven and Skuld,” she said, trying to sneak past Lauriam’s wrathful gaze, and Strelitzia nodded, lost in her decorating schemes. However, Lauriam, ever the watchful brother, grabbed her before she could get anywhere and pulled her to the side of the room where no one could hear them. 

“You better watch how you touch me, Lauri,” Elrena said in her sickeningly sweet voice that he hated so much. “I have no qualms about chopping off people’s hands.” 

“Drop the act, El. Since when did you start liking my sister?” 

Elrena hesitated. She couldn’t tell if he was angry or not. He certainly didn’t _seem_ angry; his nostrils usually flared when he was angry. But he certainly wasn’t happy either. 

“I’m sorry. I don’t think I know what you’re talking about,” she said. She was good at lying; or, to most people, she was. Lauriam? Not so much. He could always see right through her. It was infuriating. All he had to do was lift an eyebrow at her, and she knew there was no sense in trying to keep on with the charade. “Ugh, fine. It was a few weeks ago, okay? When we were watching that movie, and she just got so excited about the penguins in it.” She crossed her arms over her chest and huffed, blowing a strand of hair out of her face. “I just thought it was super cute, okay? So don’t demonize me, you --” 

“Demonize you?” He laughed, and she could see now that it wasn’t the rage that she needed to be worried about. Oh no, this was worse. Much, much worse. “Do you know how incredible this is? This means that I don’t have to take torture from you anymore. You dish something out, I can just hand it right back to you. I could be your best friend or your very worst nightmare. It’s all up to you, El.” 

Elrena gritted her teeth. She’d never thought about it before because Lauriam had been so intent on being a Good Person with his fancy keyblade and his Chosen Dandelion role, but he could be downright terrifying. Villainous, even. They could both be the bad guys, if they really wanted to be. Two partners in crime, constantly wreaking havoc on the worlds beyond. 

“Fine,” she hissed. “No more jokes about Brain, okay? Just keep your mouth shut around your sister? Because I really like her, and --” 

“All jokes aside, I just wanted to let you know that you have my full approval,” Lauriam said, pulling her into a warm hug that she was too uncomfortable to reciprocate, “but as her older brother and your best friend, as well as the victim of your endless torturing, I’m going to have to politely decline keeping my mouth shut. Sorry, El.” He placed a kiss on top of her head and walked away before she could even protest. 

Straight over to his sister. 

Elrena gritted her teeth and balled her hands into fists as she stomped after him, rage swelling in her like a powerful tide. She was going to kill him. So murder made her unworthy to be a keyblade wielder, who cared? This was a dire situation, and she couldn't have him -- 

"--Christmas carols on Tuesday, starting with the houses on Fountain Square," Lauriam was saying, then looked over at Elrena, a sly smile playing on his lips. "Oh, hey El. I was just talking to my sister about the schedule for next week's Christmas activities. But you look like you have something far more important to say. What's up?" 

Elrena smiled at him, a sweet, terrible smile that promised violence in the near future, then looked to Strelitzia. Sweet, beautiful, kind, smart Strelitzia, who didn't have a clue what was going on. She held the lights in her hand, watching Elrena for some sort of explanation, but Elrena had none. 

Except...if Lauriam was going to humiliate her, then she could definitely give it right back to him. 

"I was just going to let you know that Brain told me you guys had a date on that day, so maybe you should try to reschedule?" 

His nostrils flared. Good. She was hitting him where it hurt. They could fight it out later, but right now, he would pretend to be civil. 

"So you guys _are_ dating?" Strelitzia asked. "That's so sweet! You should invite him over --" 

"We were actually planning on setting up a double date," Lauriam said. "Elrena, you have anyone you might want to ask?" 

Oh no. It got worse. He didn't seem to care anymore about her endless teasing and taunts. She could not say anything else that would bother him. 

"Nope," she said through gritted teeth. "I'll be Christmas caroling with my friends. Thanks, though." 

Lauriam tilted his head to the side, pretending to think. She could see the twinkle of mischief in his eyes, and she wanted to hit that stupid look off of his face more than anything. "Maybe some other time then. I'm sure there's someone you want to ask." 

Then he was gone, seated next to Brain again and...snuggling up to him. Gods, he really didn't care anymore. There was nothing Elrena could do to defend herself. He smiled at her, then slid his hand into Brain's, which prompted Brain to press a kiss to his cheek that would have humiliated Lauriam beyond belief ten minutes ago. 

_Your move_ , Lauriam mouthed to her. 

He was a monster. 

"Aww, you guys make such a cute couple!" Elrena exclaimed far too cheerily. "Be sure to send me a Christmas card in the mail, would you?" 

Brain's expression fell to confusion as he looked to Lauriam for an explanation. "We're not --" 

"You want a Christmas card, El? I'll give you a Christmas card! It'll look like this!" Lauriam flipped her off again, and she nearly lunged at him from across the room like a feral beast from hell. 

"You want your ass handed to you in front of your boyfriend, Lauri? 'Cuz I'll--" 

"Rena, he's not worth it," Strelitzia said, putting a hand on Elrena's shoulder to hold her back. "He's just being mean for no reason. Don't let him ruin the holiday spirit for you." 

"Me?" Lauriam asked incredulously. "I didn't even --" 

Strelitzia stuck her tongue out and blew a raspberry at him, which shut him up rather quickly, then took Elrena's arm and guided her back to the tree. 

"Such a child," she said, shaking her head in disappointment as she stepped onto the ladder and began putting the lights on the tree. "Will you hold this while I string them through the limbs? Then you can tell me if it looks okay." 

"Sure." Strelitzia dropped the pile of wires into Elrena's hands and climbed to the top of the ladder, threading the lights expertly between the ornaments for maximum impact. They weren't even lit yet, and Elrena could already tell it was going to look amazing. 

"Christmas is my favorite time of the year," Strelitzia said, tugging at the end of her bright red skirt she was wearing. She wore her cute black sweater tucked into the waistband, and the long white stockings underneath had little red bows at the top of them. Really, not much had changed about her sense of fashion since she was a child. "It's always just so warm and happy, and people are less likely to get upset with you over silly things. Plus, there's just so much love in the air. Like with Brain and Lauriam." She giggled. "I'm gonna invite him to a family dinner without telling Lauriam. Mom will be so excited." 

"I would love to see how that goes," Elrena said with a snicker.

"Oh, of course. You can come too, if you want. You can be my date." 

Elrena nearly dropped all of the wires in her arms, but she covered herself smoothly by pretending that she was handing more to Strelitzia. She chewed on her bottom lip, hoping her face wasn't as red as she thought it felt, but Strelitzia wasn't paying much attention to her anyway. All of her focus was on the tree. 

"Sure, yeah. Sounds great," she choked out. 

Strelitzia continued winding the lights around the tree, stopping every once in a while for a hot chocolate break and to make snide comments about Lauriam that Elrena couldn't help but laugh at. She was funny, too? It just didn't seem quite fair for her to be so perfect, while Elrena was...well, she barely qualified as a keyblade wielder. 

"Come here," Strelitzia said, once all the lights were up. She was seated on one of the ladder rungs, holding her hands out to Elrena like she wanted her to take them, but Elrena kindly side-stepped her and simply stopped in front of her, waiting for whatever she wanted. They sat there for a moment in silence, both staring at one another, both almost smiling but not quite. The quiet little chuckle that came from Strelitzia told Elrena she would be the first to crack. She seemed so over-the-moon delighted by something. 

Or maybe that was just how she was. 

"What is it?" Elrena finally asked. 

"I wanted you to plug up the lights," Strelitzia said. "Then help me put the star on top of the tree." 

"Okay." Elrena shrugged, casually plugging the lights into the outlet, and the tree lit up with all sorts of flashing colors that looked like little fairies dancing within its limbs. She heard the oohs and ahhs from around the room, and turned around to see that everyone was standing in a semicircle, their eyes wide, their jaws dropped in utter amazement of Strelitzia's handiwork. 

"It's beautiful!" Strelitzia exclaimed, clapping her hands with delight. 

Elrena watched her, watched the way the reds and blues and greens danced in the gorgeous ocean of her eyes, watched how the pale yellows and oranges cast shadows over Strelitzia's freckly face. Her hair hung in perfectly wavy wisps over her shoulders. She looked like an angel. 

"Yeah," Elrena said, her throat feeling thick, "it is." 

“Come on,” Strelitzia said, taking Elrena’s hand. Her touch was soft, light as air, and it made Elrena want to melt into the floor. “Help me up on the ladder and make sure I don’t fall.” 

She had the star in her other hand, clutched tightly in her little fingers. Her nails were painted, Elrena realized. Bright, merry red with green stripes. The star had many sharp points extending in all directions, and it was coated in golden glitter that shimmered in the light of the tree. 

“Careful,” Elrena said, guiding Strelitzia up the rungs of the ladder. She’d climbed it several times today, but for some reason, now she was worried about her well-being. Everyone was watching in interest, holding a collective breath as if this was quite possibly the most exciting thing they’d ever seen happen, and Strelitzia climbed the rungs as high as she could go, Elrena standing behind her with arms outstretched to catch her if she fell. 

“I can’t quite reach…” Strelitzia said, stretching to try to slide the star onto the top of the tree, but her hand kept slipping away. Each little movement and wobble made Elrena’s heart pound faster, and she was constantly stepping forward to place her hands on Strelitzia’s back to steady her. 

“Let me do it,” Elrena said. “I’m a little bit taller than you.” 

“No, I’m okay. I just need to stretch a little more…” Her foot slipped off of the rung, and as she fell backward with arms swinging wildly to try to catch her balance again, Elrena outstretched her arms and caught her in midair. She weighed so little, but the impact had Elrena stumbling backward and nearly ramming into Ephemer before she finally caught her footing and hoisted Strelitzia up, holding her close to her chest. It was so easy to hold her, to wrap her up tightly in her arms and keep her warm and safe from everything. 

“I told you to be careful,” Elrena whispered to her, not harshly, but more with concern. 

Strelitzia only blinked at her, lips parted just slightly as she relaxed in Elrena’s grasp and clutched the star in her arms, hugging it tightly to her chest. There was something in her eyes, something that Elrena couldn’t quite place, but it was making her heart race and her blood thunder through her veins. Suddenly, she couldn’t think straight, and Strelitzia’s face was so close to hers, so soft and warm. Her hair tickled against Elrena’s neck, and her Santa hat was leaning slightly to the side. And her pupils were wide, so wide that they swallowed up the blue of her eyes. Elrena could see herself and the lights reflected in them. The sight made her heart stutter and her legs feel weak. It was a miracle she hadn’t collapsed in on herself and dragged Strelitzia down with her. 

“You weren’t kidding?” Strelitzia asked, ignoring Elrena’s scolding. “About being my dinner date?” 

Elrena chuckled, more out of nerves than anything else. “Really? That’s what you’re concerned about? I thought you were going to hit the ground.” 

“I didn’t think so. I knew you were there to catch me.” 

Someone cleared their throat from somewhere in the room, and Elrena startled, letting Strelitzia’s legs slide out of her grip. She had forgotten there were other people in the room. Watching her. Seeing every little expression cross her face, every desperate longing, every fluttering desire. As she looked up, flustered, her face burning with embarrassment beyond anything she thought she could feel, her eyes met Lauriam’s, and he smirked at her and coughed into his fist. It sounded vaguely like, _Kiss her_. 

When Elrena looked back at Strelitzia, however, she had no time to even think about what she was going to do, because Strelitzia closed the gap between them, pressing her lips to Elrena in a quick, chaste kiss that reflected all of her shyness and humility. It happened so quickly that Elrena was barely able to comprehend what had happened, and her limbs froze in place, her heart beating a staccato rhythm in her chest. Everything felt warm. Her lips tingled where Strelitzia had touched her. 

And Strelitzia was laughing. She was laughing with so much glee that it was infectious, and she could hear voices rising up around her, voices that sounded so far away and yet so loud. She rounded to see Strelitzia climbing the ladder again, and this time, she was able to get the star into place, perfectly settled on top of the tree and gleaming brightly. But not as brightly as Strelitzia. 

“Merry Christmas, Rena,” Strelitzia said. 

Elrena smiled. “Merry Christmas, Litzi.” 

An arm slung around Elrena’s shoulders, and she glanced over to see Lauriam standing next to her, pulling her close. If he had jokes, he seemed to be saving them for later. He just looked happy. “Looks like you and I have a Christmas double date,” he said. “I’m looking forward to it.” 

Elrena smiled. She was blushing, and she hated it, so she looked at the floor. Still, she couldn’t contain her excitement. She nudged him in the side. “I’m looking forward to it too.”


End file.
